Syrian War: News #18

JohninMK wrote:Was there anything in the potential agreement about the US leaving Syria?

Isn't that implied by "...any foreign military power leave..."?

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:Well Assad turned down the kurds request for regional Automony

kinda stupid of him IMO.

Provided the kurds agreed to have any foreign military power leave, hand over control of the oil fields and give up their weapons.

That was a good deal for him.

Was there anything in the potential agreement about the US leaving Syria?

I cannot answer that.

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:Well Assad turned down the kurds request for regional Automony

kinda stupid of him IMO.

Provided the kurds agreed to have any foreign military power leave, hand over control of the oil fields and give up their weapons.

That was a good deal for him.

Was there anything in the potential agreement about the US leaving Syria?

All that is likely a disinformation.

SAA and Kurds agree on some points, negotiations to continue.
News about Kurds handing over everything to SAA are a disinformation by media to influence public opinion and damage a negotiation/deal.

The source, who is a personal of the intelligence, added that both sides are not in a rush, and that slow advance is important so radical supporters on both sides accept and tolerate the upcoming changes.

US will leave that is done deal.
First Kurds/US needs to finish with IS, they just can't or should i say won't do it.

They captured all villages on Sur and Euphrates in a couple of days, just to arrive to the oil fields before SAA. And now they can't capture few villages in desert with all the help from France, US, and who knows who for last 7 months?


i call it a bullshit, they are not attacking anything.

Russia, Iran and Syria are not silly. There is a part of the Kurd demands that are externally influenced. US demands dressed of Kurd demands will not be accepted.

The areas of Kurd majority are not coincident with the US wanted entity to the East of the Euphrates.

How things seem to be developing in Syria we might witness the liberation of Jisr al-Shughur soon and hopefully the whole Idlib governorate as well. Due to the whole situation the Turks have shown signs of voluntary military withdrawal from Idlib, but this is yet to materialize. After this the US-backed forces under Kurdish flag remain to be put to where they belong, even though this might be more of a political challenge than a military one.

All in all, well played Russia and well played Iran, almost there.

Nearly there

IWN
‏ @A7_Mirza
3h3 hours ago

#ISIS pocket in SW #Daraa
#SAA liberated Shajarah, Abedin, As`arah and Ma`rabah.
only 3 villages remained under ISIS terrorists
HD Map: http://iswnews.com/media/2018/07/SW-Daraa-30July18-8mor97-c.jpg …



Arabiana Intel
‏ @ArabianaINTEL
3h3 hours ago

#SAA captures #ISIS fortress of Shajarah & strategic Ma’ariyah town, reaching #Jordan|ian border & #Yarmouk Valley/River, cutting away #Daesh-held area from Zionists Occupied #Jawlān Heights. #OpBasalt #Daraa #Syria

GarryB wrote:

I cannot answer that.

You don't have to... they never leave... they are still in Germany and Japan...

Kurds can be dealt with later, the problem is the anti assad forces and ISIS.

From what I have seen many syrians in occupied areas want the government to go into rebel held areas to restore water and electricity and sewerage and start rebuilding... something the rebels and the Americans aren't bothering to help them with.

Wont take long for the people in occupied Syria to realise there is a benefit from having stability and a government that actually cares about Syria... as opposed to ISIS and others who just want to steal the oil and live the high life off the proceeds.

They were forced out of Cuba, of Vietnam, of Laos, of Cambodia, of Iran, of Uzbekistan, of Kyrgyzstan and of many other countries.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/07/31/Russian-Envoy-rejects-Israel-demand-to-expel-Iran-from-Syria.html

Russian envoy rejects Israel demand to expel Iran from Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated demands that Iranian forces and their allies be expelled from Syria. (AFP)
AFP, JerusalemTuesday, 31 July 2018 Text size A A A

Russia’s ambassador to Israel on Monday described as unrealistic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated demands that Iranian forces and their allies be expelled from Syria.

Russia is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime alongside Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah -- two sworn enemies of Israel.

“The Iranians are playing a very, very important role in our common efforts to eliminate the terrorists in Syria,” Anatoly Viktorov said in English-language comments on Israel’s private Channel 10 broadcaster.

“That’s why, for this period of time, we see as non-realistic demands to expel any foreign troops from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic,” he said.

Anatoly said Iran’s presence in Syria was “fully legitimate according to UN principles”.

Asked about the possibility of Russia expelling the Iranians from the war-hit country, the ambassador replied: “No, we cannot force them”.

Viktorov said Russia was “not okay” with the use of “force” by the Israeli government.

Air attacks often attributed to Israel have repeatedly struck Iranian targets or those of its ally Hezbollah in Syria.

The diplomat continued by saying Russia “cannot persuade Israel how to proceed” in Syria.

“It is not up to Russia to give (Israel) freedom to do anything or to prohibit anything,” he said.

Last Monday at a Jerusalem meeting between Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia offered to keep Iranian forces 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Syria’s border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to an Israeli official.

The ambassador refused to confirm information about the deal.

Netanyahu in recent months has increased demands that Iran withdraw from Syria and not entrench itself militarily.

While it has been careful not to be dragged into the conflict next door, Israel has on several occasions struck Syrian territory -- including convoys of weapons it says are bound for Hezbollah.

Israel has been on high alert since June 19, when Syrian government forces launched an offensive to retake southern Daraa and Quneitra provinces, the latter of which includes the divided Golan Heights.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, in a move never recognized internationally. The two countries technically remain still at war.


Last Update: Tuesday, 31 July 2018 KSA 08:37 - GMT 05:37

In other words:

Losers do not impose conditions.

GarryB wrote:

They were forced out of Cuba, of Vietnam, of Laos, of Cambodia, of Iran, of Uzbekistan, of Kyrgyzstan and of many other countries.

Indeed... they can be forced to leave, but rarely leave on their own by their own choice...

I'd like to see who is going to force us out Russia? they don't care about that side of Syria, Turkey plz, Assad? don't make me laugh. Iran now that shit is funny, Syria isn't those countries it's a much different nut.

You can ask Afghan and Iraq how hard getting us to leave can be.

BUT even if you get us to leave The gulf states will simply park others in our place.

GarryB wrote:

I cannot answer that.

You don't have to... they never leave... they are still in Germany and Japan...

Kurds can be dealt with later, the problem is the anti assad forces and ISIS.

From what I have seen many syrians in occupied areas want the government to go into rebel held areas to restore water and electricity and sewerage and start rebuilding... something the rebels and the Americans aren't bothering to help them with.

Wont take long for the people in occupied Syria to realise there is a benefit from having stability and a government that actually cares about Syria... as opposed to ISIS and others who just want to steal the oil and live the high life off the proceeds.

When was the last time you checked situation on the ground? ISIS and other terrorists are done (the tiny pocket in southern Syria was just officially cleansed as well), foreign-backed fake revolution is officially dead.



What's left is Idlib with Turkish-backed and Gulf-state terrorists that don't stand a lot of chance unless NATO member Turkey is forced by NATO to stay and protect them. The US under Kurdish flag in north-east and east of Syria is the primary issue left to be resolved, the areas that US took control of while hiding behind SDF never belonged to Kurds so this must be taken care of. Kurds will be put to where they belong - most likely to areas where they resided at before the war, something like in Iraq when Kirkuk was taken back by Iraqi government.

SeigSoloyvov wrote:

I'd like to see who is going to force us out Russia? they don't care about that side of Syria, Turkey plz, Assad? don't make me laugh. Iran now that shit is funny, Syria isn't those countries it's a much different nut.

You can ask Afghan and Iraq how hard getting us to leave can be.

BUT even if you get us to leave The gulf states will simply park others in our place.

Nobody wants you to leave, what everyone wants is that your leadership doesn't side with occupying forces that pursue their own objective and don't give a damn about Kurdish people. That's where most of the problems with Kurds come from, both in Syria and Iraq and even elsewhere - you are constantly being used as a tool.

Now, what is next? Bear these comments in mind


Within Syria
‏ @WithinSyriaBlog
15m15 minutes ago

All reports of a near operation of the SAA in Idlib are false and baseless, yes there may be an operation in some areas, however, no operation in Idlib as a whole.


Leith Aboufadel
‏Verified account @leithfadel
3h3 hours ago

Leith Aboufadel Retweeted Timur Akhmetov

There won’t be an offensive to capture Idlib. The only thing in the works is a Jisr Al-Shugour offensive near the Latakia provincial border. Idlib city is out of the question. The provincial capital and other towns in Idlib will likely remain under a Turkish protectorate

#Russian President's special envoy to #Syria Lavrentiev stated there are yet no plans on offensive in #Idlib, but moderate opposition should cooperate with #Turkey to remove threats to #RuAF #Khmeimim in #Latakia, #SAA military coming from terrorist groups especially![/i]

SeigSoloyvov wrote:I'd like to see who is going to force us out Russia? they don't care about that side of Syria, Turkey plz, Assad? don't make me laugh. Iran now that shit is funny, Syria isn't those countries it's a much different nut.

You can ask Afghan and Iraq how hard getting us to leave can be.

BUT even if you get us to leave The gulf states will simply park others in our place.

Also it is possible to ask to the US how hard is ro remain in Afghanistan and Iraq.

http://www.icasualties.org/

It is your wish, but the war in Syria will not finish here. The war will finish when the US, Israel and Turkey be out. The time is not a factor.

You have been forced out of North Korea, of Vietnam, of Laos, of Cambodia, of Iran, of Uzbekistan, of Kyrgyzstan, of Thailand, of Cuba and of many other countries. Russia, Iran and other allies know well how.

JohninMK wrote:Now, what is next? Bear these comments in mind


Within Syria
‏ @WithinSyriaBlog
15m15 minutes ago

All reports of a near operation of the SAA in Idlib are false and baseless, yes there may be an operation in some areas, however, no operation in Idlib as a whole.


Leith Aboufadel
‏Verified account @leithfadel
3h3 hours ago

Leith Aboufadel Retweeted Timur Akhmetov

There won’t be an offensive to capture Idlib. The only thing in the works is a Jisr Al-Shugour offensive near the Latakia provincial border. Idlib city is out of the question. The provincial capital and other towns in Idlib will likely remain under a Turkish protectorate

#Russian President's special envoy to #Syria Lavrentiev stated there are yet no plans on offensive in #Idlib, but moderate opposition should cooperate with #Turkey to remove threats to #RuAF #Khmeimim in #Latakia, #SAA military coming from terrorist groups especially![/i]

There is no point rushing to clear out Idlib. Rebuilding Syrian forces and economy should take priority. The situation in north of Syria is'
rather complex. The Kurds are a harder to target than Daesh and the "moderate" jihadis. The US is also using the Kurds to control territory.
For Syria, reclaiming the oil and gas fields is more important than some quick operation in Idlib.

Wow, the campaign in the S-W has wrapped up. This after E. Ghouta... great victories! It's been amazing to see these events unfold.

As for Idlib/Afrin, I would think that pretty soon we will likely have a better understanding of the true nature of the game Turkey is playing there now with all recent developments considered. Perhaps, by agreement, this has been a blocking action against the US performed by the Turks because they were best positioned politically to do so (as a NATO "ally"/frenemy of the US). If instead the Turks are pursuing the aim of permanently controlling that territory then it will lead to increasing friction with Russia, and obviously the Syrian government as well. We'll see a clearer picture of what Russian diplomacy has achieved, or not, in regard to this.

Syria's UN envoy: Damascus has legitimate right to get Idlib back

Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Russian journalists that the Idlib governorate and other nests of terrorists will be priority targets for Syrian government troops

SOCHI, July 31. /TASS/. Syria’s government has a legitimate right to get back all the territories seized by Turkey, including Idlib, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari said on Tuesday.

"There can be no compromises on that matter. The period of functioning of de-escalation zones has its timeframes. They cannot be extended without the Syrian government’s consent. It is a legitimate right of the Syrian people to get back all the territories seized by Turkey," al-Jaafari, who leads the Syrian government delegation to the international meeting on Syria in Russia’s Sochi, stressed.

Syria’s Idlib governorate was incorporated into the northern de-escalation zone in 2017. Turkey, a Syrian ceasefire guarantor nation along with Russia and Iran, hold responsibility for the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Russian journalists that the Idlib governorate and other nests of terrorists will be priority targets for Syrian government troops.

Refugees

Syria calls on the international community to render assistance in creating necessary conditions for the return of refugees, Syria’s envoy reiterated.

"We call on the international community to help Syria create necessary conditions for the return of refugees, in particular, in what concerns creating jobs for refugees in Syria," said al-Jaafari.

Constitutional reform

Syria will abide by the incumbent Constitution as regards the setting up the Constitutional Committee, Jaafari told reporters.

He indicated that the Syrian government said everywhere the objective, for which the Constitutional Committee should be set up, was to work under provisions of the Constitution having legal effect now.

http://tass.com/world/1015524

Large-scale operation in Syria’s Idlib out of question, says Russia’s chief negotiator

The diplomat has commented on the possibility of a military operation in Syria's Idlib

SOCHI, July 31. /TASS/. A large-scale operation to storm the Syrian city of Idlib is out of the question, Russian president’s special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, said on Tuesday.

"I’d rather refrain from speaking about the city’s storming or a pending operation. There are too many rumors and they are ungrounded," he said.

"Any large-scale operation in Idlib is out of the question."

Prisoners' exchange

Russia hopes the pilot project for the exchange of prisoners between the Syrian government and the opposition will be implemented swiftly, Russian envoy for Syria emphasized.

"A certain positive result was achieved by the group on the release of detained people, exchange of bodies of those killed and the search for the missing people. It gives grounds to hope for the swift implementation of the pilot project," he said. "Although it is a small project, it is a good beginning all the same."

http://tass.com/politics/1015572

Unconfirmed

Gov't Flag Hoisted across Manbij Ahead of Syrian Army's Imminent Arrival

People in the Northern town of Manbij have hoisted government flags in the town, preparing for the Syrian Army troops' imminent arrival, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted local sources as reporting that civilians in Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo have hoisted the government flags across the town, preparing for a warm welcome ceremony as the army is regaining control over the town following talks between the Kurds and Damascus officials two days ago.

Al-Watan said that civilians have prepared banners to welcome the army at the Western entrance of the town where the army is expected to enter Manbij.

Manbij residents have also repaired and reconstructed police stations in the town and along the Aleppo international highway to Manbij to hand over their control to the army forces, al-Watan further said.

It quoted a member of the Manbij Military Council as reporting that the Syrian government flags have been hoisted over the highest point of the town over Municipality Palace Building near al-Karank square that is a sign of Damascus' reign over the region.

On Saturday, a preliminary agreement was made between the SDF and the Syrian government on transferring control of different parts of the country to Damascus and withdrawal of the US forces from Syria.

The Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper quoted informed Syrian sources as saying that the SDF agreed to give control of Raqqa city and a large number of districts in Hasaka city, including those near the government and security centers, to the Syrian government.

Based on the report, the meetings were held in the presence of the Kurds close to the Syrian government, adding that they told the SDF officials that regaining control of the occupied areas was possible but Damascus prefers to retake them through political ways and negotiations.

It added that the executive council of the SDF has also informed Damascus that the US intends to withdraw its forces and evacuate its military bases from the Syrian territories.

Last terrorist stronghold in Syria's southwest destroyed — Defense Ministry

Syria's government forces regained control over another 146 settlements

MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan’s units and the Fourth Tank Division destroyed the last stronghold of the Islamic state terror group (outlawed in Russia) in the southwestern part of Syria’s Quneitra province on Wednesday, Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi said on Thursday.

"Yesterday, General Suheil’s units and the Fourth Tank Division destroyed the Islamic State’s last stronghold in the southwestern part of the Quneitra province," he said.

"An area of 3,332 square kilometers has been liberated in southwestern Syria," Rudskoi said, adding that "Syrian government forces have taken control of another 146 settlements, with 50 of them coming under the Syrian forces’ control through negotiations."

According to Rudskoi, Syrian government troops and militia units carried out a rapid offensive on a militant stronghold in the Qusayr area, surrounding more than 160 members of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia), who eventually surrendered.

"I would like to point out that military activities in southwestern Syria were aimed only against the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State - TASS] and Jabhat al-Nusra [another terror group outlawed in Russia - TASS]," the Russian general stressed. "In areas controlled by the ‘moderate’ opposition, steps were taken to reconcile members of illegal armed units with the government and restore state authority," he added.

"Militants were free either to take advantage of the current amnesty, lay down their arms and resume civilian lives, or move to the Idlib province together with their families," Rudskoi went on to say. "Most members of illegal armed groups chose to stay in their home settlements," he noted.


More:
http://tass.com/defense/1015815

Couldn't resist this. Top grade explosion porn. From today in Latakia.

I will believe it when I see it. I can't imagine any direct involvement but let's wait and see. But in the article they because of Chinese terrorists being there they have been for years so why didn't they help years ago. Still it's a bit late in coming but as they say Better late than never


China will allegedly assist the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in their upcoming battle in southwestern Idlib, the Chinese Ambassador to Syria, Qi Qianjin, told Al-Watan this week.

https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/china-to-allegedly-assist-syrian-army-in-idlib-report/

Russia accuses US of harboring ISIS fighters in southern Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) – The Russian Ministry of Defense has accused the U.S. of harboring Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) terrorists in the Tanf region of southern Syria.

According to a statement from Russia’s Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Sergei Rudskoy, the Islamic State’s numbers inside this large U.S.-controlled pocket has been steadily growing over the last few weeks.

Rudskoy said that the Islamic State is preparing to launch new attacks against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) from this large pocket in southern Syria.

Specifically, the Russian general claimed that the Islamic State terrorists were planning to launch attacks on the Syrian Army’s positions in the Al-Sweida, Damascus, Homs, and Deir Ezzor provinces.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russia-accuses-us-of-harboring-isis-fighters-in-southern-syria/